JP2015158467A - Route search system, route search method, computer program and data structure of cost table - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a route search system, route search method, computer program and data structure of a cost table used in a route search that allow the route search to be conducted taking into account eligibility for travelling by automatic drive control.SOLUTION: When searching for a recommended route reaching a destination from a departure point including an automatic drive segment allowed for automatic drive control of a vehicle, a route search system is configured to calculate a cost value using an automatic drive cost table 32, which is set so that the more suitable for travelling by the automatic drive control the route is, the lower the cost value is calculated, and search for the recommended route on the basis of the calculated cost value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a route search system, a route search method, a computer program, and a data structure of a cost table used for route search that search for a recommended route in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of a vehicle is permitted.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a navigation device is often mounted on a vehicle that provides vehicle travel guidance so that a driver can easily arrive at a desired destination. Here, the navigation device detects the current position of the vehicle by a GPS receiver or the like, acquires map data corresponding to the current position through a recording medium such as a DVD-ROM or HDD or a network, and displays it on a liquid crystal monitor. It is a device that can do. Further, the navigation device has a route search function for searching for a recommended route from the vehicle position to the destination when a desired destination is input, and sets the searched recommended route as a guide route. A guide route is displayed on the screen, and when the user approaches an intersection, the user is surely guided to a desired destination by voice guidance. In recent years, some mobile phones, smartphones, tablet terminals, personal computers, and the like have functions similar to those of the navigation device.

  Further, in recent years, automatic driving control in which the vehicle automatically travels along a preset route, regardless of the user's driving operation, other than the manual driving that travels based on the user's driving operation, as the driving mode of the vehicle. A new proposal has been made for driving by. In automatic driving control, for example, the current position of the vehicle, the lane in which the vehicle travels, the position of other vehicles in the vicinity are detected at any time, and vehicles such as a steering, a drive source, and a brake are driven so as to travel along a preset route. Control is automatic. Here, traveling by automatic driving control has the advantage of reducing the burden on the user's driving, but there are situations in which it is difficult to drive by automatic driving control depending on road conditions. For example, there are situations where the vehicle or the sensor travels along a sharp curve where it is difficult to detect the surrounding situation, situations where the lane line is degraded, situations where the lanes are frequently changed, and the like.

  In view of this, the navigation apparatus and the like are newly required to search for a recommended route in consideration of the suitability for traveling by the automatic driving control. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-125726, when automatic travel route priority is selected as a search condition, the route cost of a portion corresponding to an automatic travel route on which automatic driving traveling such as an automobile-only road is performed is smaller than 1. There has been proposed a technique for searching for a route that prioritizes traveling on an automatic travel route by multiplying by a coefficient.

JP 2004-125726 A (page 6-7, FIG. 5)

  However, in the technique of the above-mentioned patent document 1, it is possible to easily include an automatic travel route within a route by multiplying a coefficient, but basically a route search using the same cost table as a normal route search. It is carried out. Therefore, it has not been possible to perform a route search in consideration of the suitability of traveling by automatic operation control. For example, even if there are many sections of automatic travel routes, routes that have many sharp curves or routes that need to be frequently changed lanes can be run with automatic driving control as described above. Inappropriate route. However, in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that such a route may be selected as a recommended route, and as a result, an unfavorable event occurs for the user, such as interruption of traveling by automatic driving control. .

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a route search system, a route search method, a computer program, and a computer program capable of performing a route search in consideration of eligibility for travel by automatic driving control. An object is to provide a data structure of a cost table used for route search.

  In order to achieve the above object, a route search system (1) according to the present invention is a route search system that searches for a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of a vehicle is permitted. . Specifically, the cost for calculating the cost value using the cost table (32) for automatic driving control set so that the route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control and the lower cost value is calculated. It has a calculation means (41) and a recommended route search means (41) for searching the recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculation means.

  The route search method according to the present invention is a route search method for searching for a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. Specifically, a cost table (32) for automatic operation control, which is set so that the cost calculation means (41) calculates a lower cost value for a route suitable for traveling by automatic operation control. And calculating a cost value, and a recommended route searching means (41) searching for the recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculating means.

  The computer program according to the present invention is a computer program that searches for a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. Specifically, the cost value is calculated by using a cost table (32) for automatic operation control that is set such that a route suitable for traveling by automatic operation control and a lower cost value is calculated. It functions as a cost calculation means (41) for calculating and a recommended route search means (41) for searching for the recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculation means.

  In addition, the data structure of the cost table (32) according to the present invention is such that when searching for a recommended route for traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted, A data structure of a cost table used to calculate a cost value that serves as an index for selection, comprising a plurality of elements for calculating the cost value, and the total value of the values specified for each element as the cost value The calculated plurality of elements include an automatic driving determination element for determining whether or not the plurality of elements are suitable for traveling by automatic driving control.

  According to the route search system, the route search method, and the computer program according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, it is possible to perform a route search in consideration of eligibility for traveling by automatic driving control. As a result, it is possible to provide a recommended route that prevents a disadvantageous event from occurring for the user such as the automatic operation control being interrupted while the vehicle is traveling by the automatic operation control.

  Further, according to the data structure of the cost table according to the present invention, it is possible to perform a route search in consideration of eligibility for traveling by automatic driving control by using the cost table. As a result, it is possible to provide a recommended route that prevents a disadvantageous event from occurring for the user such as the automatic operation control being interrupted while the vehicle is traveling by the automatic operation control.

It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the figure which compared and showed the automatic driving cost table and the manual driving cost table. It is a figure explaining the suitability of driving by automatic operation control. It is a figure explaining the suitability of driving by automatic operation control. It is a flowchart of the route search processing program concerning this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the route guidance screen which guided the recommended route displayed on a liquid crystal display, when driving | running | working by manual operation is selected. It is the figure which showed the route guidance screen which guided the recommended route displayed on a liquid crystal display, when driving | running | working by automatic driving | operation control was selected. It is the figure which showed an example of the control content of the automatic driving control set with respect to the driving planned route of a vehicle.

  Hereinafter, a route search system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment embodied in a navigation device. First, a schematic configuration of the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a navigation device 1 according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a current position detection unit 11 that detects a current position of a vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted, a data recording unit 12 that records various data, Based on the input information, the navigation ECU 13 that performs various arithmetic processes, the operation unit 14 that receives operations from the user, and information on a map around the vehicle and a route searched by the route search process described later for the user Such as a liquid crystal display 15 that displays voice guidance related to route guidance, a DVD drive 17 that reads a DVD as a storage medium, a probe center, a VICS (registered trademark: Vehicle Information and Communication System) center, and the like. And a communication module 18 for communicating with the information center.The navigation device 1 is connected to an in-vehicle camera 19 and various sensors installed on a vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. Furthermore, the vehicle control ECU 20 that performs various controls on the vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted is also connected so as to be capable of bidirectional communication. Further, various operation buttons 21 mounted on the vehicle such as an automatic driving switch and an automatic driving start button described later are also connected.

Below, each component which comprises the navigation apparatus 1 is demonstrated in order.
The current position detection unit 11 includes a GPS 22, a vehicle speed sensor 23, a steering sensor 24, a gyro sensor 25, and the like, and can detect the current vehicle position, direction, vehicle traveling speed, current time, and the like. . Here, in particular, the vehicle speed sensor 23 is a sensor for detecting a moving distance and a vehicle speed of the vehicle, generates a pulse according to the rotation of the driving wheel of the vehicle, and outputs a pulse signal to the navigation ECU 13. And navigation ECU13 calculates the rotational speed and moving distance of a driving wheel by counting the generated pulse. Note that the navigation device 1 does not have to include all the four types of sensors, and the navigation device 1 may include only one or more types of sensors.

  The data recording unit 12 includes an external storage device, a hard disk (not shown) as a recording medium, a map information DB 31 recorded on the hard disk, an automatic operation cost table 32, a manual operation cost table 33, which will be described later, and a predetermined information. And a recording head (not shown) which is a driver for reading predetermined programs and writing predetermined data to the hard disk. The data recording unit 12 may be configured by a memory card, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, instead of the hard disk. Further, the map information DB 31, the automatic driving cost table 32, and the manual driving cost table 33 may be stored in an external server, and the navigation device 1 may be acquired by communication.

  Here, the map information DB 31 searches for, for example, link data 34 relating to roads (links), node data 35 relating to node points, facility data relating to facilities, map display data for displaying a map, intersection data relating to each intersection, and points. This is storage means for storing search data and the like.

  In addition, as the link data 34, for each link constituting the road, the width of the road to which the link belongs, the gradient, the cant, the bank, the road surface state, the merged section, the number of road lanes, the number of lanes that decrease The data representing the narrowed part, the level crossing, etc. is the data regarding the corner, the radius of curvature, the intersection, the T-junction, the entrance and the exit of the corner, the data indicating the downhill road, the uphill road, etc. regarding the road attribute However, regarding road types, in addition to general roads such as national roads, prefectural roads, narrow streets, and the like, data representing toll roads such as highway automobile national roads, city highways, automobile exclusive roads, general toll roads, and toll bridges are recorded.

  Further, as the node data 35, actual road branch points (including intersections, T-junctions, etc.) and the coordinates (positions) of node points set for each road according to the radius of curvature, etc. Node attribute indicating whether a node is a node corresponding to an intersection, etc., a connection link number list that is a list of link numbers of links connected to the node, and an adjacency that is a list of node numbers of nodes adjacent to the node via the link Data relating to the node number list, the height (altitude) of each node point, and the like are recorded.

  On the other hand, the automatic driving cost table 32 and the manual driving cost table 33 are indicators for selecting a route in a route search process for searching for a route from a departure point (for example, the current position of the vehicle) to a set destination as described later. It is a table used for calculating a cost value.

  Here, as a traveling form of the vehicle, in addition to the manual driving traveling that travels based on the user's driving operation, the vehicle automatically travels along a predetermined route regardless of the user's driving operation. Traveling by operation control is possible. In the automatic driving control, for example, the current position of the vehicle, the lane in which the vehicle travels, and the positions of other vehicles in the vicinity are detected at any time, and steering and driving are performed so as to travel along a route preset by the vehicle control ECU 20. Vehicle control such as power source and brake is performed automatically. The details of the automatic operation control are already known, and the description is omitted. In addition, although automatic driving control may be performed for all road sections, in the following description, as an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of a vehicle is performed, a gate (manned unmanned, A description will be made assuming that the automatic driving control is basically performed only during the period when the highway is provided with a chargeable free of charge) and the vehicle travels in the automatic driving section. However, other sections may be set as the automatic operation section. For example, a highway automobile national road, a city highway, a car road, a toll road, and a general road may be set as the automatic driving section. In addition, when the vehicle travels in the automatic driving section, the automatic driving control is not necessarily performed, but it is appropriate that the user selects the automatic driving control and the driving is performed by the automatic driving control. Done only in That is, the automatic driving section is a section in which automatic driving control is permitted for the vehicle in addition to manual driving.

  Further, in the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment, at the time of route search, the vehicle travels by the automatic driving control or the manual driving by the user's driving operation particularly in the automatic driving section in which the automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. Can be selected in advance. Then, when it is selected that the vehicle travels by the automatic driving control in the automatic driving section, the route that is suitable for performing the driving by the automatic driving control is automatically set so that the lower cost value is calculated. A route search is performed using an automatic driving cost table 32 which is a cost table for driving control. On the other hand, when it is selected that the vehicle travels by manual driving in the automatic driving section, the route search is performed using the manual driving cost table 33 which is a cost table for normal manual driving not considering automatic driving control. .

  Here, FIG. 2 is a diagram comparing the contents of the automatic operation cost table 32 and the manual operation cost table 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic operation cost table 32 and the manual operation cost table 33 include a plurality of elements for calculating cost values. Then, the total value of the values specified for each element is calculated as the cost value, and the route with the smallest cost value is selected as the recommended route as described later (S2 and S4 in FIG. 5). Further, the automatic operation cost table 32 and the manual operation cost table 33 have common elements, but there are elements included in only one of them. For example, the branch cost for giving priority to the route with few branches (right and left turns) and selecting the recommended route, the distance cost for selecting the route with a short distance and selecting the recommended route, giving priority to the route with less congestion Give priority to traffic congestion costs for selecting recommended routes, road attribute costs for selecting recommended roads with priority on road attributes suitable for driving, routes with less lane changes required by JCT, IC, etc. The lane change cost for selecting the recommended route is a common factor. In addition, a curve curvature cost for preferentially selecting a route that does not include a curve and a route that includes a curve that has a small curve curvature (a curvature radius R is large) as a recommended route, and a period from the end of road construction Only the automatic operation cost table 32 includes a construction period cost for preferentially selecting a route including a short section as a recommended route and a traffic cost for preferentially selecting a route with a small amount of traffic as a recommended route. Element. Further, only the manual driving cost table 33 has a road width cost for preferentially selecting a route with a wide road width as a recommended route and a lane number cost for preferentially selecting a route with a large number of lanes as a recommended route. It is an included element. Here, in particular, (A) road attribute cost, (B) lane change cost, (C) curve curvature cost, (D) construction period cost, and (E) traffic volume cost in the automatic driving cost table 32 are based on automatic driving control. This corresponds to an automatic driving determination element for determining whether or not it is suitable for running.

In the following, the automatic driving determination elements (A) to (E) will be described in more detail.
(A) A route including a dedicated lane for traveling by automatic driving control (hereinafter referred to as automatic driving dedicated lane) is a route traveling on a road designed on the assumption that traveling is performed by automatic driving control. Therefore, it can be estimated that the route can appropriately perform traveling by the automatic operation control. Therefore, in the road attribute cost, the value of the road attribute cost is made smaller for the road having the autonomous driving lane. As a result, the route including the autonomous driving lane is preferentially selected as the recommended route.
(B) Moreover, since a complicated driving operation is required for a route with a large number of lane changes in JCT, IC, etc., traveling by automatic driving control cannot be performed appropriately. That is, the automatic operation control may be interrupted. Therefore, in the lane change cost, the smaller the number of lane changes, the smaller the value of the lane change cost. As a result, a route with little lane change is preferentially selected as a recommended route.
(C) Also, on roads where the curvature of the curve is large (the radius of curvature R is small), it becomes difficult to detect the lane markings and other vehicles by the outside camera 19 and sensors, and therefore it is possible to appropriately perform traveling by automatic driving control. Can not. That is, the automatic operation control may be interrupted. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the own vehicle 45 detects the other vehicle 46 and the lane marking 47 with the camera 19 outside the vehicle, the traveling direction is larger when the curvature of the curve is larger than that of a straight road or a road with a smaller curvature of the curve. The front detection area is narrowed. In particular, when there are walls on both sides of the road as in an expressway, the detection area is narrowed by being blocked by the walls. Accordingly, the curve curvature cost is set to the smallest value when the curve is not included, and the lane change cost value is further decreased as the curve with the smaller curvature is included when the curve is included. As a result, a road that does not include a curve and a route that includes a curve that includes a curve with a small curvature is preferentially selected as a recommended route.
(D) Further, when the lane marking is detected by the outside camera 19, it is important that the lane marking is clearly drawn on the road surface. However, even if the lane marking is clear immediately after paving by construction, the lane marking gradually peels off and deteriorates as the vehicle repeatedly travels on the road surface. And since it becomes difficult to detect the lane line by the outside camera 19 on the road where the lane line has deteriorated, it is not possible to appropriately perform the traveling by the automatic driving control. That is, the automatic operation control may be interrupted. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the own vehicle 45 detects the lane marking 47 with the outside camera 19, when the lane marking 47 is deteriorated, the image is processed when the image captured by the outside camera 19 is processed. The position and shape of the line 47 cannot be detected accurately. Therefore, in the construction period cost, the value of the construction period cost is made smaller for a road having a short period from the end of road construction. As a result, a route including a section having a short period from the end of road construction, that is, a section in which the lane marking is predicted to be clear is preferentially selected as the recommended route.
(E) In the traffic volume cost, the value of the traffic volume cost is made smaller for a road with a small traffic volume for the purpose of preventing the interruption of the automatic operation control due to the fact that the lane line cannot be detected as in the construction period cost. As a result, a route having a low traffic volume, that is, a route that is predicted to have a clear lane line is preferentially selected as a recommended route.

  In this embodiment, (A) to (E) are listed as the automatic driving determination elements, but it is not necessary to use all of (A) to (E), and some elements (for example, (A) to (E) Only C)) may be used. In addition, priority may be set for the automatic driving determination element. For example, when the route search is first performed using only (A) to (C) and the recommended route cannot be narrowed down to one route, (D ) And (E) may be used to perform a route search.

  Further, the automatic driving cost table 32 has a lower ratio of the distance cost, the traffic congestion cost, the road width cost, and the lane number cost to the entire cost value than the manual driving cost table 33 (in particular, the road width cost and the lane number cost are “ On the other hand, the lane change cost is set so that the proportion of the total cost value is high. As a result, when the route search is performed by selecting that the vehicle travels by the automatic operation control in the automatic operation section, the automatic operation is performed more than when the route search is performed by selecting the travel by manual operation. The cost value is calculated with emphasis on whether or not the route is suitable for traveling under control. Details of the route search process using the automatic operation cost table 32 and the manual operation cost table 33 will be described later.

  On the other hand, the navigation ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 13 is an electronic control unit that controls the entire navigation device 1. The CPU 41 as an arithmetic device and a control device, and a working memory when the CPU 41 performs various arithmetic processes. Read out from the ROM 43 and the ROM 43 in which a route search processing program (see FIG. 5) to be described later is recorded in addition to the RAM 42 for storing route data when the route is searched and the control program. And an internal storage device such as a flash memory 44 for storing the program. The navigation ECU 13 constitutes various means as processing algorithms. For example, the cost calculation means calculates a cost value using a cost table for automatic driving control set so that a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control and a lower cost value are calculated. The recommended route search means searches for a recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculation means. The traveling mode selection means selects whether the vehicle travels by automatic driving control or by manual driving by the user's driving operation in the automatic driving section. The control content setting unit sets the control content of the automatic driving control performed on the vehicle for the automatic driving section included in the recommended route searched by the recommended route searching unit.

  The operation unit 14 is operated when inputting a departure point as a travel start point and a destination as a travel end point, and includes a plurality of operation switches (not shown) such as various keys and buttons. Then, the navigation ECU 13 performs control to execute various corresponding operations based on switch signals output by pressing the switches. The operation unit 14 can also be configured by a touch panel provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal display 15. Moreover, it can also be comprised with a microphone and a speech recognition apparatus.

  In addition, the liquid crystal display 15 includes a map image including a road, traffic information, operation guidance, operation menu, key guidance, a recommended route from the starting point to the destination searched during route search, various information related to the recommended route, Guide information, news, weather forecast, time, mail, television program, and the like along the guide route (recommended route when the recommended route is selected as the guide route) are displayed. In place of the liquid crystal display 15, HUD or HMD may be used.

  The speaker 16 outputs voice guidance for guiding traveling along the guidance route based on an instruction from the navigation ECU 13 and traffic information guidance.

  The DVD drive 17 is a drive that can read data recorded on a recording medium such as a DVD or a CD. Based on the read data, music and video are reproduced, the map information DB 31 is updated, and the like.

  The communication module 18 is a communication device for receiving traffic information, probe information, weather information, and the like transmitted from a traffic information center, for example, a VICS center or a probe center. . In addition, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that performs communication between vehicles and a road-to-vehicle communication device that performs communication with roadside devices are also included.

  The vehicle exterior camera 19 is constituted by a camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD, for example, and is installed above the front bumper of the vehicle and installed with the optical axis direction downward from the horizontal by a predetermined angle. And the vehicle outside camera 19 images the front of the traveling direction of the vehicle when the vehicle travels in the automatic driving section. In addition, the vehicle control ECU 20 performs image processing on the captured image, thereby detecting a lane line drawn on the road on which the vehicle travels, other vehicles in the vicinity, and the like. Perform operation control. In addition, you may comprise the vehicle exterior camera 19 so that it may arrange | position behind or a side other than the vehicle front. As a means for detecting other vehicles, a sensor such as a millimeter wave radar, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or road-to-vehicle communication may be used instead of the camera.

  The vehicle control ECU 20 is an electronic control unit that controls the vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted. Further, the vehicle control ECU 20 is connected to each drive unit of the vehicle such as a steering, a brake, and an accelerator. In the present embodiment, the vehicle control ECU 20 controls the drive unit particularly when the vehicle travels in an automatic driving section. Implement automatic operation control. Moreover, navigation ECU13 transmits the instruction | indication signal regarding automatic driving | operation control with respect to vehicle control ECU20 via CAN at the time of the driving plan route (guide route) of a vehicle being determined. And vehicle control ECU20 implements the automatic driving | operation control after a driving | running | working start according to the received instruction signal. The content of the instruction signal includes information for specifying a planned travel route (guide route) and control content of automatic driving control performed on the vehicle with respect to the automatic driving section included in the planned traveling route (for example, straight traveling). , Change lane to the right, merge, etc.).

  Next, a route search processing program executed by the CPU 41 in the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the route search processing program according to the present embodiment. Here, the route search processing program is a program that is executed when a predetermined operation for performing a route search is received in the navigation device 1 and searches for a recommended route from the departure point to the destination. The program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 below is stored in the RAM 42 or ROM 43 provided in the navigation apparatus 1 and is executed by the CPU 41.

  First, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1 in the route search processing program, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the automatic operation switch is turned on. Here, the automatic driving switch is a switch for the user to switch whether the vehicle basically performs the automatic driving control in the automatic driving section or performs the manual driving without performing the automatic driving control. Be placed.

  And when it determines with the automatic driving | operation switch being turned ON (S1: YES), it transfers to S3. On the other hand, when it is determined that the automatic operation switch is OFF (S1: NO), the process proceeds to S2.

  That is, when it is determined that the automatic operation switch is turned on, the user desires to perform automatic operation control in the automatic operation section. Therefore, as described later, the CPU 41 performs the automatic operation section after S3. Thus, the recommended route from the starting point to the destination is searched basically assuming that the vehicle performs automatic driving control.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the automatic operation switch is turned off, the user desires to perform manual operation without performing automatic operation control in the automatic operation section. The recommended route from the starting point to the destination is searched on the assumption that the vehicle is manually operated in the section. Note that the recommended route searching process in S2 is the same as a general route searching process that does not consider automatic driving control. Specifically, the cost value is calculated using the manual operation cost table 33 using a known Dijkstra method. Then, the route having the minimum cost value is set as the recommended route. In addition to the recommended route, other candidate routes searched by changing the search conditions (for example, a route searched with priority on distance, priority on general road, priority on toll road) are also guided to the liquid crystal display 15.

  Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a route guidance screen 51 displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 in S2. In the route guidance screen 51, in addition to the recommended route, information related to routes searched under conditions different from the recommended route (for example, routes searched with distance priority, general road priority, toll road priority) in a list for each route. An information window 52 to be displayed is displayed. The route selected by the cursor 53 in the information window 52 is displayed on the map image on the left side of the screen. In the example shown in FIG. 6, candidate routes other than the recommended route are also displayed, but only the recommended route may be displayed. Then, the user selects a planned travel route (guide route) of the vehicle from the guided routes. Thereafter, the navigation device 1 performs traveling guidance based on the selected planned traveling route.

  On the other hand, in S3, the CPU 41 acquires a departure place and a destination. Note that the departure point may be the current position of the vehicle or an arbitrary point (for example, a home) designated by the user. The destination is acquired based on a user operation (for example, a facility search or selection operation) received in the operation unit 14.

  Next, in S4, the CPU 41 searches for a recommended route from the departure point to the destination on the assumption that the vehicle travels by the automatic driving control in the automatic driving section. In particular, the route search in S4 uses a known Dijkstra method and calculates a cost value using the automatic driving cost table 32 (FIG. 2). Specifically, the route search is performed from the departure side and the destination side, and the cost value accumulated from the departure side and the purpose are overlapped in the overlap between the search from the departure side and the search from the destination side. A value (cost addition value) obtained by adding the cost values accumulated from the ground side is calculated based on the automatic operation cost table 32. In S <b> 5, the CPU 41 identifies a route that has the smallest calculated cost addition value as a candidate route.

  Here, the automatic driving cost table 32 has (A) road attribute cost and (B) lane as automatic driving discriminating elements for determining whether or not it is suitable for traveling by automatic driving control as described above. It includes a change cost, (C) curve curvature cost, (D) construction period cost, and (E) traffic volume cost (see FIG. 2). As a result, routes that include autonomous driving lanes, routes that change little lanes, roads that do not include curves, routes that include curves when curves are included, routes that have a short period from the end of road construction, or traffic A lower cost value is calculated for a route suitable for traveling by automatic operation control such as a route including a small number of sections (that is, a route predicted to have a clear lane marking). Further, the automatic driving cost table 32 is set so that the ratio of the distance cost, the congestion cost, the road width cost, and the lane number cost to the entire cost value is lower than the manual driving cost table 33, and conversely the lane change cost. Is set so that the proportion of the total cost value is high. As a result, compared with the manual operation cost table 33, whether or not the route is suitable for traveling by automatic operation control is emphasized, and the cost value is calculated. Therefore, it is possible to perform a route search in consideration of the suitability of traveling by automatic operation control.

  Next, in S6, the CPU 41 guides information related to the recommended route selected in S5. It should be noted that only the information related to the recommended route may be guided, or other candidate routes that are not selected as the recommended route (for example, the route with the second or third smallest cost addition value) may be the guidance target. Here, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a route guidance screen 61 displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 in S6. In the route guidance screen 61, in addition to the recommended route, an information window 62 that displays information related to other candidate routes that have not been selected as the recommended route in a list for each route is displayed. Then, the route selected by the cursor 63 in the information window 62 is displayed on the map image on the left side of the screen. In addition, when the route displayed on the map image overlappingly includes the automatic driving section, the section corresponding to the automatic driving section and the section not corresponding are identified and displayed. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the automatic driving section is displayed with a solid line, and other than the automatic driving section is displayed with a broken line. In addition to the required time, the information window 62 desirably displays the number of times, the distance, and the like that the automatic driving control is predicted to be interrupted. In the example shown in FIG. 7, candidate routes other than the recommended route are also displayed, but only the recommended route may be displayed. Further, the information window 62 may be configured not to display the number of interruptions and the interruption distance.

  Thereafter, in S7, the CPU 41 determines a planned travel route (guide route) of the vehicle based on the user's operation from the routes guided in S6. In addition, it is good also as a structure which determines a recommended route as a driving planned route, without making a user select. Thereafter, the CPU 41 sets the control content (for example, straight ahead, lane change to the right, merge, etc.) of the automatic driving control performed on the vehicle for the automatic driving section included in the planned travel route.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, it is the figure which showed an example of the control content of the automatic driving control set when the section af is an automatic driving section among the driving schedule paths of a vehicle. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the control content of the automatic operation control is set for the sections a to f. In addition, the control content of automatic driving control is basically determined based on the planned travel route and map information. For example, “Merge” is set as the control content of automatic driving control in the section where it is necessary to merge with the main line by IC etc. Is done. Also, “change lane to right (left)” is set in a section where lane change is required to move to another expressway or general road by JCT or IC. And the information which specifies a driving planned route and the set control content are transmitted to vehicle control ECU20 via CAN. As a result, when the vehicle starts traveling, the vehicle control ECU 20 performs automatic driving control after the start of traveling according to the information received from the navigation device 1.

  As described in detail above, in the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment, the route search method by the navigation device 1 and the computer program executed by the navigation device 1, the departure includes an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. When searching for a recommended route from the ground to the destination, the cost value using the automatic driving cost table 32 set so that a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control and a lower cost value is calculated. Since the recommended route is searched based on the calculated cost value (S5), it is possible to perform a route search in consideration of the eligibility of traveling by the automatic driving control. As a result, it is possible to provide a recommended route that prevents a disadvantageous event from occurring for the user such as the automatic operation control being interrupted while the vehicle is traveling by the automatic operation control.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied when performing a route search at the start of traveling of the vehicle. For example, automatic driving is started while the vehicle is traveling in an automatic driving section by manual driving. It may be applied when the automatic driving start button is pressed. In that case, the process after S3 of FIG. 5 will be performed. The departure point is the current position of the vehicle, and the destination is the destination if the destination is already set in the navigation device 1. On the other hand, when the destination is not set, for example, a point separated by a predetermined distance along the road is set as the destination.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the navigation device 1 is configured to set the control content of the automatic driving control performed on the vehicle (for example, straight ahead, lane change to the right, merge, etc.), but the control content of the automatic driving is It is good also as a structure which vehicle control ECU20 sets. Further, the control content of the automatic driving control is not necessarily set at the time of the route search, and may be set before reaching the automatic driving section.

  In the present embodiment, the vehicle control ECU 20 automatically controls all of the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the handle operation, which are operations related to the behavior of the vehicle, among the operations of the vehicle, without depending on the driving operation of the user. It has been described as an automatic operation control for traveling. However, in the automatic driving control, the vehicle control ECU 20 may control at least one of the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the steering wheel operation, which is an operation related to the behavior of the vehicle among the operations of the vehicle. On the other hand, manual driving by the user's driving operation will be described as a case where the user performs all of the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the steering wheel operation, which are operations related to the behavior of the vehicle, among the operations of the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, the navigation device 1 executes the route search processing program (FIG. 5), but the vehicle control ECU 20 may execute the program. In this case, the vehicle control ECU 20 is configured to acquire the current position of the vehicle, map information, traffic information, and the like from the navigation device 1.

  In addition to the navigation device, the present invention can be applied to a device having a route search function. For example, the present invention can be applied to a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, and the like (hereinafter referred to as a mobile terminal). Further, the present invention can be applied to a system including a server and a mobile terminal. In that case, each step of the route search processing program (FIG. 5) described above may be implemented by either a server or a mobile terminal. However, when the present invention is applied to a portable terminal or the like, it is necessary that a vehicle capable of performing automatic driving control and the portable terminal or the like be connected so as to be communicable (regardless of wired wireless).

  Moreover, although the embodiment which actualized the route search system according to the present invention has been described above, the route search system can also have the following configuration, and in that case, the following effects can be obtained.

For example, the first configuration is as follows.
A route search system for searching for a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted, and a route suitable for performing driving by automatic driving control has a lower cost. A cost calculation means for calculating a cost value using a cost table for automatic operation control set so that a value is calculated, and a recommendation for searching for the recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculation means Route search means.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to perform a route search in consideration of travel eligibility by automatic driving control. As a result, it is possible to provide a recommended route that prevents a disadvantageous event from occurring for the user such as the automatic operation control being interrupted while the vehicle is traveling by the automatic operation control.

The second configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic operation control includes a plurality of elements for calculating a cost value, a total value of values specified for each element is calculated as a cost value, and the plurality of elements include automatic operation control. It includes an automatic driving discriminating element for determining whether or not the vehicle is suitable for traveling according to.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether traveling by automatic driving control is an appropriate route by calculating a cost value using an automatic driving determination element. .

The third configuration is as follows.
As the automatic driving discriminating factor, a dedicated route cost for selecting a recommended route with priority given to a route including a dedicated lane for running by automatic driving control, a route with less lane change being selected as a recommended route with priority Lane change cost to perform, curve curvature cost to prioritize the route with low curve curvature included in the case of including the curve and the curve included when the curve is included, and the period from the end of road construction is short It includes at least one of the construction period cost for preferentially selecting a route including a section as a recommended route and the traffic cost for preferentially selecting a route with a small amount of traffic as a recommended route. .
According to the route search system having the above configuration, a route including an autonomous driving lane, a route with little lane change, a route not including a curve, a route including a curve when the curve is included, a curve having a small curvature, and the end of road construction It is possible to preferentially select a route including a section with a short period of time or a low traffic volume (that is, a route predicted to have clear lane markings) as a recommended route. Therefore, it is possible to select a route that is more suitable for traveling by automatic driving control as the recommended route.

The fourth configuration is as follows.
In the automatic driving section, the vehicle has a driving mode selection means for selecting whether the vehicle is driven by the automatic driving control or the manual driving by the user's driving operation. When it is selected to travel by control, a cost value is calculated using the cost table for automatic operation control, and when it is selected to travel by manual operation in the automatic operation section, the automatic operation is performed. The cost value is calculated using a cost table for manual operation different from the cost table for control.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to search for a recommended route assuming that automatic driving control is not performed in addition to a recommended route assuming that the vehicle performs automatic driving control in the automatic driving section. Thus, it is possible to widen the user's range of route selection and allow the user to select a more appropriate travel route without being limited to the travel mode of the vehicle. In addition, since the route search is performed using a cost table that varies depending on the selected travel mode, it is possible to search for an appropriate route for each travel mode.

The fifth configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic operation control and the cost table for manual operation are the cost for calculating the cost value, the distance cost for preferentially selecting the route with a short distance as the recommended route, the route with less congestion Traffic congestion cost to prioritize and select a recommended route, road width cost to prioritize a wider road width and select a recommended route, higher priority route to select a recommended route The automatic operation control cost table occupies the cost value of the distance cost, the congestion cost, the road width cost, or the lane number cost more than the cost table for manual operation. It is characterized by a low ratio.
According to the route search system having the above configuration, when the route search is performed by selecting that the vehicle travels by the automatic operation control in the automatic operation section, the route search is performed by selecting the travel by the manual operation. It is possible to calculate the cost value with more emphasis on whether or not the route is suitable for traveling by automatic driving control than when it is performed.

The sixth configuration is as follows.
The automatic operation control cost table includes elements common to the manual operation cost table as elements for calculating a cost value, and includes elements not included in the manual operation cost table. It is characterized by that.
According to the route search system having the above configuration, in the cost table for manual operation and the cost table for manual operation, the cost value is calculated using different elements, so that the reference according to the selected driving mode is used. Based on this, it becomes possible to accurately determine the eligibility of the route.

The seventh configuration is as follows.
It has control content setting means for setting the control content of the automatic driving control performed on the vehicle for the automatic driving section included in the recommended route searched by the recommended route searching means. To do.
According to the route search system having the above configuration, it is possible to set the control content of the automatic driving control performed by the vehicle when traveling on the recommended route. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the control content of the automatic driving control during traveling, and the processing load related to the automatic driving control can be reduced.

1 Navigation device 13 Navigation ECU
14 Operation unit 15 Liquid crystal display 41 CPU
42 RAM
43 ROM
45 Own vehicle 46 Other vehicle 47 Track line 51, 61 Route guidance screen 52, 62 Information window

In the following, the automatic driving determination elements (A) to (E) will be described in more detail.
(A) A route including a dedicated lane for traveling by automatic driving control (hereinafter referred to as automatic driving dedicated lane) is a route traveling on a road designed on the assumption that traveling is performed by automatic driving control. Therefore, it can be estimated that the route can appropriately perform traveling by the automatic operation control. Therefore, in the road attribute cost, the value of the road attribute cost is made smaller for the road having the autonomous driving lane. As a result, the route including the autonomous driving lane is preferentially selected as the recommended route.
(B) Moreover, since a complicated driving operation is required for a route with a large number of lane changes in JCT, IC, etc., traveling by automatic driving control cannot be performed appropriately. That is, the automatic operation control may be interrupted. Therefore, in the lane change cost, the smaller the number of lane changes, the smaller the value of the lane change cost. As a result, a route with little lane change is preferentially selected as a recommended route.
(C) Also, on roads where the curvature of the curve is large (the radius of curvature R is small), it becomes difficult to detect the lane markings and other vehicles by the outside camera 19 and sensors, and therefore it is possible to appropriately perform traveling by automatic driving control. Can not. That is, the automatic operation control may be interrupted. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the own vehicle 45 detects the other vehicle 46 and the lane marking 47 with the camera 19 outside the vehicle, the traveling direction is larger when the curvature of the curve is larger than that of a straight road or a road with a smaller curvature of the curve. The front detection area is narrowed. In particular, when there are walls on both sides of the road as in an expressway, the detection area is narrowed by being blocked by the walls. Accordingly, the curve curvature cost is set to the smallest value when the curve is not included, and the curve curvature cost is further decreased as the curve including the curve is included. As a result, a road that does not include a curve and a route that includes a curve that includes a curve with a small curvature is preferentially selected as a recommended route.
(D) Further, when the lane marking is detected by the outside camera 19, it is important that the lane marking is clearly drawn on the road surface. However, even if the lane marking is clear immediately after paving by construction, the lane marking gradually peels off and deteriorates as the vehicle repeatedly travels on the road surface. And since it becomes difficult to detect the lane line by the outside camera 19 on the road where the lane line has deteriorated, it is not possible to appropriately perform the traveling by the automatic driving control. That is, the automatic operation control may be interrupted. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the own vehicle 45 detects the lane marking 47 with the outside camera 19, when the lane marking 47 is deteriorated, the image is processed when the image captured by the outside camera 19 is processed. The position and shape of the line 47 cannot be detected accurately. Therefore, in the construction period cost, the value of the construction period cost is made smaller for a road having a short period from the end of road construction. As a result, a route including a section having a short period from the end of road construction, that is, a section in which the lane marking is predicted to be clear is preferentially selected as the recommended route.
(E) In the traffic volume cost, the value of the traffic volume cost is made smaller for a road with a small traffic volume for the purpose of preventing the interruption of the automatic operation control due to the fact that the lane line cannot be detected as in the construction period cost. As a result, a route having a low traffic volume, that is, a route that is predicted to have a clear lane line is preferentially selected as a recommended route.

The third configuration is as follows.
As the automatic driving discriminating factor, a dedicated route cost for selecting a recommended route with priority given to a route including a dedicated lane for running by automatic driving control, a route with less lane change being selected as a recommended route with priority Lane change cost to perform, curve curvature cost to prioritize the route with low curve curvature included in the case of including the curve and the curve included when the curve is included, and the period from the end of road construction is short It includes at least one of the construction period cost for preferentially selecting a route including a section as a recommended route and the traffic cost for preferentially selecting a route with a small amount of traffic as a recommended route. .
According to the route search system having the above configuration, a route including an autonomous driving lane, a route with little lane change, a route not including a curve, a route including a curve when the curve is included, a curve having a small curvature, and the end of road construction It is possible to preferentially select a route including a section with a short period of time or a low traffic volume (that is, a route predicted to have clear lane markings) as a recommended route. Therefore, it is possible to select a route that is more suitable for traveling by automatic driving control as the recommended route.
The fourth configuration is as follows.
The cost calculating means calculates a cost value using a cost table for the automatic driving control when the vehicle travels by automatic driving control in the automatic driving section, and the vehicle is operated by the user in the automatic driving section. When the vehicle travels by manual operation by the driving operation, the cost value is calculated using a cost table for manual operation different from the cost table for automatic operation control.
According to the route search system having the above configuration, an appropriate route can be searched for each traveling mode.

The fifth configuration is as follows.
In the automatic driving section, the vehicle has a driving mode selection means for selecting whether the vehicle is driven by the automatic driving control or the manual driving by the user's driving operation. When it is selected to travel by control, a cost value is calculated using the cost table for automatic operation control, and when it is selected to travel by manual operation in the automatic operation section, the automatic operation is performed. The cost value is calculated using a cost table for manual operation different from the cost table for control.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to search for a recommended route assuming that automatic driving control is not performed in addition to a recommended route assuming that the vehicle performs automatic driving control in the automatic driving section. Thus, it is possible to widen the user's range of route selection and allow the user to select a more appropriate travel route without being limited to the travel mode of the vehicle. In addition, since the route search is performed using a cost table that varies depending on the selected travel mode, it is possible to search for an appropriate route for each travel mode.

The sixth configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic operation control and the cost table for manual operation are the cost for calculating the cost value, the distance cost for preferentially selecting the route with a short distance as the recommended route, the route with less congestion Traffic congestion cost to prioritize and select a recommended route, road width cost to prioritize a wider road width and select a recommended route, higher priority route to select a recommended route The automatic operation control cost table occupies the cost value of the distance cost, the congestion cost, the road width cost, or the lane number cost more than the cost table for manual operation. It is characterized by a low ratio.
According to the route search system having the above configuration, when the route search is performed by selecting that the vehicle travels by the automatic operation control in the automatic operation section, the route search is performed by selecting the travel by the manual operation. It is possible to calculate the cost value with more emphasis on whether or not the route is suitable for traveling by automatic driving control than when it is performed.

The seventh configuration is as follows.
The cost table for the automatic operation control and the cost table for the manual operation are considered only for the common element considered in both tables and the cost table for the automatic operation control as elements for calculating the cost value. And an element that is considered only in the cost table for manual operation, and the cost table for automatic operation control has an overall cost value of the common element rather than the cost table for manual operation. The ratio is set so as to be low.
According to the route search system having the above configuration, in the cost table for manual operation and the cost table for manual operation, the cost value is calculated using different elements, so that the reference according to the selected driving mode is used. Based on this, it becomes possible to accurately determine the eligibility of the route.

The eighth configuration is as follows.
It has control content setting means for setting the control content of the automatic driving control performed on the vehicle for the automatic driving section included in the recommended route searched by the recommended route searching means. To do.
According to the route search system having the above configuration, it is possible to set the control content of the automatic driving control performed by the vehicle when traveling on the recommended route. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the control content of the automatic driving control during traveling, and the processing load related to the automatic driving control can be reduced.
The ninth configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic driving control is set such that a lower cost value is calculated for a route including a dedicated lane for traveling by automatic driving control.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to calculate a lower cost value for a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control.
The tenth configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic operation control is set such that a route with less lane change is set so that a lower cost value is calculated.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to calculate a lower cost value for a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control.
The eleventh configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic operation control is set such that a route not including a curve is the lowest, and a route including a curve is set such that a lower cost value is calculated as the curvature of the curve is smaller. .
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to calculate a lower cost value for a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control.
The twelfth configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic operation control is set such that a lower cost value is calculated for a route including a section having a shorter period from the end of road construction.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to calculate a lower cost value for a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control.
The thirteenth configuration is as follows.
The cost table for automatic operation control is set such that a route with a smaller traffic volume is calculated so that a lower cost value is calculated.
According to the route search system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to calculate a lower cost value for a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control.

Claims (10)

A route search system for searching for a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of a vehicle is permitted,
A cost calculation means for calculating a cost value using a cost table for automatic driving control set so that a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control and a lower cost value are calculated;
A route search system comprising: recommended route search means for searching for the recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculation means. The cost table for the automatic operation control is
It has multiple elements to calculate the cost value,
The total of the values specified for each element is calculated as the cost value,
The route search system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements include an automatic driving determination element for determining whether or not it is suitable for traveling by automatic driving control. As the automatic driving determination element,
Dedicated route cost for preferentially selecting a route including a dedicated lane for running by automatic driving control as a recommended route,
Lane change cost to prioritize the route with few lane changes and select the recommended route,
Curve curvature cost for preferentially selecting a road that does not include a curve and a route that includes a curve with a low curvature of the curve as a recommended route,
Construction period cost for preferentially selecting a route including a section with a short period from the end of road construction as a recommended route,
Traffic cost to select the recommended route with priority on the route with less traffic,
The route search system according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the following. Travel mode selection means for selecting whether the vehicle travels by automatic driving control or by manual driving by a user's driving operation in the automatic driving section;
The cost calculating means includes
When traveling by automatic driving control is selected in the automatic driving section, a cost value is calculated using the cost table for automatic driving control,
The cost value is calculated using a cost table for manual operation different from the cost table for automatic operation control when traveling by manual operation is selected in the automatic operation section. The route search system according to claim 3. The cost table for automatic operation control and the cost table for manual operation are as elements for calculating a cost value,
Distance cost to prioritize the short route and select the recommended route,
Congestion cost to prioritize the route with less traffic and select the recommended route,
Road width cost for preferentially selecting a route with a wide road width as a recommended route,
Lane number cost to prioritize the route with many lanes and select the recommended route,
Including at least one of
5. The cost table for the automatic operation control has a lower ratio of the distance cost, the congestion cost, the road width cost, or the lane number cost to the cost value than the manual operation cost table. The route search system described in 1. The cost table for the automatic operation control, as an element for calculating the cost value,
6. The route search system according to claim 4, wherein the route search system includes elements common to the cost table for manual operation and elements not included in the cost table for manual operation.   It has control content setting means for setting the control content of the automatic driving control performed on the vehicle for the automatic driving section included in the recommended route searched by the recommended route searching means. The route search system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A route search method for searching a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of a vehicle is permitted,
A step of calculating a cost value using a cost table for automatic driving control set so that the cost calculating means has a route suitable for running by automatic driving control and a lower cost value;
And a step of searching for the recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculating unit. A computer program for searching for a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of a vehicle is permitted,
Computer
A cost calculation means for calculating a cost value using a cost table for automatic driving control set so that a route suitable for traveling by automatic driving control and a lower cost value are calculated;
Recommended route searching means for searching for the recommended route based on the cost value calculated by the cost calculating means;
Computer program to make it function. A cost table used to calculate a cost value that serves as an index for selecting a recommended route when searching for a recommended route when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted Data structure,
It has multiple elements to calculate the cost value,
The total of the values specified for each element is calculated as the cost value,
The data structure of the cost table, wherein the plurality of elements include an automatic driving determination element for determining whether or not the driving is suitable for running by the automatic driving control.

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